Perfect Soul
by HeartMuses
Summary: After staying at Camp Half-Blood for 11 years, summers had begun to grow mundane to Jacinda Winsted, but when a strange new boy named Percy Jackson arrives, things take an exciting turn. There are many new adventures to be had, friendships build, romance flourishes, and nothing will ever be quite the same. T for language.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey y'all! It has been nearly a year since I have even been on this site, and after rereading this story, I had a weird urge to simply rewrite the whole thing, so that is what I'm doing. I hope you like it! :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not claim ownership for anything in this story. All rights to the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series go to the original author Rick Riordan. **

I watched from my bunk as Luke immersed himself into conversation with the new boy at camp (What was his name again?). All around me, the cabin filled with the chatter and laughs of friends and half-siblings, anxious to catch up with one another after a long day of training. As for me, I sat with an old, tattered journal balanced on my knees, twiddling a pen in my fingers.

When I say that the journal was old, I mean that it was ancient. It was so ancient that the binding was destroyed and pages were falling out across my sheets, excessively timeworn from years of use. Initially, I had only started this whole journal-keeping thing at the demands of Chiron, but over time I had grown used to it, even daring to say that I liked it. I had flooded its pages with all of my deepest thoughts and secrets as an outlet for such dark emotions. But tonight, my focus was elsewhere.

My attention had settled on the beautiful blond who sat at the back of the room, his back against the wall. His pearly-white teeth peaked from beneath his thin lips as his hands fiddled with a switchblade distractedly. Most people would be slightly off put by the scar that stretched across his right cheek, but I was accustomed to it. His sun-kissed skin glowed in the yellow light of the small, but crowded, cabin.

Luke Castellan had always been one of my closest friends. I had known his since I was nearly eleven, but as of late, we had become something more.  
Now, you are probably wondering how it is possible for Luke and me to both call the Hermes cabin home, yet still be able to date one another. I had been at Camp Half-Blood since I was six years old and ever since then I have remained unclaimed, whereas Luke was a real son of Hermes. Chiron had already figured out who my dad was, but that meant nothing if I was never claimed.

I watched intently as Luke stood up, his tall and lean stature dwarfing that of the lanky new boy.

Somewhere in the distance, the conch blew, pulling me out of my reverie. "Eleven fall in!" Luke shouted. Hurriedly, I tossed my journal down and rushed to his side. "Hey kid," he smiled down at me. I also smiled at the familiarity of the nickname that he had given me when we were young. It was never meant to become what it had, but originally was quite a mean thing. When the two of us first met, I was stuck in the "annoying little kid" stage, and Luke was at the age where he found any person who was slightly younger than him tremendously infuriating. He called me "kid" in a degrading way, but when we became friends it turned to more of a joking term, later evolving into an endearing pet name.

The whole of our cabin filed into the valley, forming our usual ranks by seniority. Technically, I _should _have been in front of Luke but was not due to the fact that he was our head counselor. Together, the mass of us wandered towards the dining pavilion.

Once in the mess hall, we took our seats in our normal places, the benches a touch more crowded with the new addition who sat across from Luke and I.  
"Percy, this is Jacinda Winsted, my girlfriend. Jacey, this is Percy Jackson," he introduced us as we waited for our meal. I waved and smiled sheepishly.  
A booming echoed throughout the camp as Chiron stamped his hoof against the marble, raising his glass. "To the gods!" He shouted. The campers echoed him.

Dinner went on as always. The three of us talked as we ate until Mr. D rose. "Yes, I suppose I'd better say hello to you brats. Well, hello." He sighed. I glanced at Luke and giggled softly. "Our activities director, Chiron, says that the next capture the flag is Friday. Cabin five presently holds the laurels." The Ares table erupted into howls and everyone else rolled their eyes. "Personally, I couldn't care less, but congratulations. Also, I should tell you that we have a new camper today, Peter Johnson."

Chiron leaned over and muttered something inaudible.

"Or Percy Jackson," Dionysius corrected himself as Percy turned an intense shade of crimson. Just to be more embarrassing, I hollered in excitement, which he didn't appear to appreciate, slouching in his seat. "That's right. Hurrah, and all that. Now run along to your silly campfire. Go on."

A roar of enthusiasm filled the evening air.

The brilliant stars twinkled against the darkness of the sky. The steady beat of a guitar resonated through the amphitheater in the light of the fire, whose flames were high as ever. I held a freshly roasted marshmallow in my hand, but after it was toasted, I wasn't really hungry for it anymore. Smirking, I glimpsed at Luke, who was conversing with Connor Stoll. I raised my arm and smashed the mushy treat against his cheek.

"Oh gods!" He yelped, turning to me accusingly before bursting into laughs. I giggled alongside him. "What the Hades was that for?"

I shrugged innocently. He raised an eyebrow at me, widening his gorgeous blue eyes. After a moment's contemplation, I leaned over and licked a drip of the marshmallow from his face. "Delicious."

"That was a waste of a perfectly good marshmallow," he scolded jokingly. I giggled again and leaned against his chest. Lazily, he wiped his face on the hem of his orange camp T-shirt before kissing my forehead.

Together, the camp sang the night away to the tune of our traditional campfire melodies, led by the Apollo cabin. The moon rose bold in the sky as the summer night drew to a close. At the end of the night, we reluctantly trailed back to our respective cabins and I drifted into a deep, dreamless sleep in preparation for another long day come the morning.

**I know that it was short, but keep an eye out for more!**


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning, I woke to a delicate hand caressing my face. The bright fluorescents of the Hermes cabin burned through my eyelids. The touch was soft, the hand warm and comforting, despite the fact that I could feel the calluses caused by excessive swordplay. I opened my eyes and was blinded by sun and central lighting. Luke sat at the edge of my bunk, a broad smile spread across his face that never wavered.

"Rise and shine, Sleeping Beauty," he whispered.

"Good morning, my prince charming," I replied, sitting up. He stifled a short chuckle as Percy approached. The poor boy's messy hair stuck out in every possible direction. He began to chat with Luke about all of the usual unclaimed newbie business as I watched, my knees pulled close to my chest. On the average day, I would have been looking to Luke and thinking of how great he was (Wow. I couldn't sound any more like a hopeless romantic. Gross.), but today, I spent my time observing Percy.

It was his first full waking day at camp, meaning that the counselors would all be working together to see where he belonged. By the looks of it, he was horribly nervous. His fingers fumbled with the edge of his shirt as his eyes darted around the room. Chances were, he had been plagued with shattering nightmares, making it impossible for him to get even a wink of sleep.

Trust me, I felt bad for the guy. He had been through so much. But at the same time, deep down, I envied him. He had a mother who would sacrifice herself so that he could be safe. I'll elaborate.

Neither of my parents had ever really been there. For starters, my Olympian father disappeared just after I was born (Part of the usual godly protocol), which not only left me without a dad, but it crushed my mother-a hopeless romantic- so deeply that I lost her too. Finally, there came a day that she couldn't take the heartbreak any longer, so she ended it for good. I was left practically an orphan. That was also the day that I was brought here, to CHB.

That's how things went for us demigods though. I can guarantee that nearly every half-blood in this camp would give you some sob story if you asked them about their family. The gods, who were supposed to make things better, were toxic to mortals. Luke had learned this from an early age as well when his mom's involvement in the Greek world literally drove her into insanity.

That thought caused me to glance over to my boyfriend who was still talking with Percy. I must have had an odd look on my face, because when his eyes met mine, he asked an innocent "What's wrong?"

I shrugged nonchalantly, "I'm just… thinking."

"What are you thinking about?"

Desperate to change the subject, I made something up, "I'm thinking that I need to go take a shower."

Luke chuckled and kissed my forehead as I stood up. "I'm going to the capture the flag meeting today with Annabeth to see what they're gonna offer us for an alliance. We might talk some strategy too."

I nodded, pulling my trunk from under my bed, "Just as long as I'm not on border again." Again, he laughed.

I pulled my choice of clothes out and headed to the girls' bathroom across the common area.

The bathroom was dark, and damp with puddles of standing water covering the concrete floors. At one time, it was probably very nice, but due to the fact that the camp was hundreds of years old, age and decay were evident everywhere. To an unknowing soul, the bathroom would have been called disgusting, but after a few years you get used to them.

In addition to all of structural and visual issues of the bathrooms, your choices of water temperature were either scolding shower of the Underworld or ice cold. Also, the water pressure was lacking.

As I stood under the weak stream of water (I had chosen to freeze), I thought of the story that had rapidly spread throughout camp the day before. I was glad that Clarisse finally got a taste of what she deserved, but it also worried me about the powers that the innocent new boy possessed.

It felt like a good day for a long (and cold) shower. The raining droplets beat rhythmically against my back, my dripping hair slung across my shoulder as I drifted into thought. After basking in the iciness, I switched off the shower and dried my tan skin.

Once I had pulled on my usual outfit-my Camp Half-Blood T-shirt and cutoff shorts- I toweled off my long brown hair and braided it to the side, neglecting it slightly. I didn't bother doing my make-up, which was typical. The only day that I usually took the time to do up my face was for the July Fourth firework show, which would be here before we knew it.

A faint creak echoed through the bathroom as the door opened next to me and in walked Selena Beauregard, who ignored me completely. That was typical for a daughter of Aphrodite. They could stare right through you, but also walk all over you. I quickly gathered my belongings and rushed out.

The field outside was flooded with campers who were ready for an early morning breakfast. As I walked back to Hermes, I watched as a group of satyrs played a friendly game of HORSE on the basketball court. On the edge of the fountain, a pair of demigods seemed to be properly engaging in foreplay, the daughter of Apollo straddling the poor Demeter boy. I couldn't help but cringe as they rocked back, as I was predicting the fate of their intimacy. After I had turned away, a piercing SPLASH! Echoed through the valley. I surpressed a giggle, approaching the door of my cabin.

I reached for the door handle at the exact moment the door flew open. Luke framed the doorway, sporting his typical camp shirt and jeans. The sleeves of his shirt had been cut off and the hems of his jeans had been shredded from years of wear. His customary smile stretched across his cheeks.

Behind him stood Annabeth Chase, who sneered at the sight of me. Luke didn't see it, of course.

The fact of the matter was that Annabeth was a jealous person, which was fine until she brought it to the extreme. It was pretty obvious that she had taken a liking to my boyfriend (even though she was nearly seven years younger than him), and when he became close with me, she instantly turned to hatred for me. In her eyes everything was my fault, whether I had anything to do with it or not. The worst thing was that Luke was totally oblivious to it. They were best friends and it killed me.

"Oh, hello there!" Luke exclaimed with a twinge of a false accent. He stepped back, allowing me to enter.

"Where are you two off to?"" I asked, carelessly tossing my pajamas onto my bunk.

Annabeth spoke up, "We were going to talk strategy over breakfast."

Luke extended his arm in my direction, inviting me to join them. After a moment's hesitation, I nodded, taking his hand. Together, the three of us set off into the valley.

The dining pavilion was busy with demigods who buzzed about with their friends. Each table was covered with the usual breakfast assortments, including fresh strawberries straight from the fields. At one end of the Hermes table sat Chris and Ethan, deep in conversation. Next to me, Luke devoured a powdered donut, his face covered with sugar.

"Percy is on the south border, and that's definite," Annabeth insisted.

Luke nodded.

It had taken me a moment to process what that had meant, but when I realized what she meant, my eyes lit up. "Where will I be if he's at my-"

"You'll be at the other end of the border," Luke interrupted, wiping the sugar off his face. His tone was suddenly deadly serious.

I glanced to my right, where Chris sat a few feet away, and lowered my voice, "But that is Rodrigues's spot," I whispered, "And I'm pretty sure that you don't want him anywhere else."

He looked to Annabeth, who shrugged, "She's not wrong. You have fighting experience, Jacinda. We could use all the power we can get."

I grinned to Luke, who put his head in his hands muttering "It's not safe."

"At least think about it," Annabeth huffed.

But it seemed as though there was no changing his mind. He was stubborn, like most Hermes kids.

"Stand up straighter!" Luke shouted as I sparred with Connor Stoll, whapping my back with the flat of his sword. My spine straightened as a pain response. Connor's eyes met mine and he relaxed. He seemed to understand what I meant. His weapon clattered to the ground.

Luke had always harsh with me, and I had gotten used to it, but today was all about proving myself worthy of playing Capture the Flag. "You can do better than that," Lucas said to me, walking off.

"Seriously, who the fuck does he think he is?" Connor muttered bitterly. I laughed awkwardly.

"Alright, you guys can take a quick break. Water is in the cooler," Luke announced. I tossed my sword to the side, following the flow of people to the water cooler. Grabbing a bottle, I took a long sip.

Luke poured a small amount of water across his sweaty head and face. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Percy do the same, mimicking Luke. I giggled and sat down on the bleachers at the edge of the arena.

Luke sat down beside me. "Hi," I sighed.

His eyebrows knit together, "Are you okay?" I nodded and leaned forward. His bright smile faded into my lips, the world around us fading. His tongue caressed the roof of my mouth, his hands cupping my face. It was soft and gentle, as usual. My slight anger towards him from moment before disappeared. He pulled away, brushing the hair away from my face. "I love you."

"I love you too," I whispered. His smile returned and he stood up. And sword class continued.

"Okay, everybody circle up!" Luke shouted, "If Percy doesn't mind, I want to give you a little demo."

I sniggered to myself, anticipated Percy being pounded.

He went on to explain the disarming technique that he would be demonstrating, which I already knew. I watched intently as he performed it on the younger boy in slow-mo. Percy's arm twisted and he released the sword.

"Now in real time," Luke suggested, "You ready Percy?"

Percy nodded, and Luke attacked. Surprisingly, he was able to counter the strike. After a few moments of sparring, both of their faces filled with a wild intensity. Percy lunged, his weapon locking with Luke's. With a short thrust of strength, Percy performed the maneuver.

Luke bit his lip, his face filled with nervousness and shock.

An abrupt clatter echoed through the arena. Luke stood unarmed and astonished; his empty hands flew to the air in surrender.

"Sorry," the black haired boy said innocently.

Luke was taken aback. "Sorry? By the gods, Percy, why are you sorry? Show me that again!" His excitement made me smile. Not only was he good with a sword, but he was passionate about it.

The two raised their weapons and began to duel once again. This time, Percy looked weak, his strength exhausted. His sword drooped in his hand, falling to the ground after only a few seconds of combat.

Luke's face fell to disappointment.

"Beginner's luck?" Travis said next to me.

"Maybe," Luke sighed, wiping away the sweat on his face, "But I wonder what Percy could do with a balanced sword…"

I nodded in agreement, also curious.


End file.
